MIT Talks About Survivor
Darlene had tried to let me listen in on the MIT talk via her cell phone. I was able to hear most of the professor’s part, but not Ethan’s. So, here’s my summary of the professor’s speech - with the last two paragraphs being from Darlene.
Henry Jenkins, Director of MIT Comparative Media Studies talks about Survivor and the lure of reality TV.
Yeah, he may be a scholar, but he loves Survivor. Why does the media hate it? Why do they feel the need to mock it? Perhaps because it is so popular. If you dissect the show, it follows the standard dramatic premises and structures that all drama does. It also encourages debate about ethical and moral issues. Isn’t that a good thing?
One thing to consider, it’s ‘reality-based’ TV, not truth. The roots of reality-based TV go back to 1973 and the TV show The American Family. Cameras invaded the house of the Loud family and watched as their marriage fell apart and their son came out to a public that was hostile towards gays. The Louds were held up as an example of all that was wrong with the American family. The thought was that perhaps the show was too true. The next step in the evolution was to create a fake family - MTV’s Real World. With an artificial situation, there was a bit more control over the drama. Survivor takes things one step further and creates an artificial family in an artificial environment.
Situations are set up that create moments of truth and betrayal. Personalities inform the drama. Close-ups in challenges help you learn about the personalities of the players. As do the extended shots of the post challenge celebrations and commiserations.
The way music is used in the show is also reminiscent of regular dramas. Music is used the heighten emotional reactions to events and is more intrusive than in documentaries.
The introductions on the first ep of each Survivor series, helps place the contestants in the real world - we learn what their occupation is and see them in their daily life. This helps us connect to them and, due to their varied backgrounds, helps set up possible dramatic tension later.
The use of soliloquy or confessional interviews is a dramatic tool used in such classics as Richard III. Having the contestants tell the viewers things that aren’t revealed to the other contestants heightens our awareness of their strategies and their actions. It also helps us to connect with the confessor. The fact that many contestants use the ’secret’ confessionals to release pent up emotions that they can’t share within the game for fear of increasing their likelihood of getting voted-off also helps add tension and drama to the confessional speech.
Many foreign countries are trying to create their own version of Survivor. They are finding that cultural differences are also informing the drama of the show. Japanese contestants are having problems dealing with the shame of being voted off. Australians are often seem too laid-back to create a truly drama-charged competition.
CBS is also using the show and its contestants to create cross-show promotions. This makes the show more cost-effective. Appearances by the contestants on the Early Show and Letterman boost the ratings of those shows and Survivor.
As more and more people watch TV on tape or TV, advertisers are also looking for ways of still getting their message across. Survivor offers this through product placement. Survivors win products on the show - the product placement is obvious and associated with winning.
Additions from Darlene
He showed some of the Snickers commercials, which made Ethan laugh. (Actually, a lot of things made Ethan laugh…we didn’t put that in our review, but he did seem to be enjoying himself). Ethan has TIVO and probably goes past most of the commercials.
They discussed for a while the fact that MB never ceases to surprise the viewers. Ethan discussed the agony of waiting all those months to know he was the winner. He also said that the way MB recreated the tribal council set was so perfect that they all were stunned when they walked on stage…it brought back all the old feelings for him, I guess. He has a lot of respect for MB and the Survivor concept in general…he did not say much one way or the other about Just Peachy.